Calgary Real Estate

Herbs are easy to grow, and even easier to eat

For bursts of intense flavour, grow your own herbs

Photograph by: Stephanie Frey
, Fotolia.com

The small bottles of dried herbs I walked by at the grocery store the other day reminded me (again) how they hardly compare to fresh herbs.

I know manufacturers do their best to preserve as much flavour as possible, but it's a bit like trying to trap lightning in a bottle. It just isn't gonna happen. The only way to capture the lightning is to buy fresh or to grow your own. If you're hesitant about growing herbs, don't be. Start with a few of your favourites and keep them in great shape with the five S's: Sun, soil, space, solution and snip. Let me explain.

First and foremost, sunlight is critical for growing high-quality herbs. Most culinary herbs are indigenous to the Mediterranean where sunlight is abundant. So it's not surprising that herbs produce the best flavours when bathed in six hours (or more) of direct sunlight per day. Basil is a bit of an anomaly, because our hot afternoon sun tends to diminish the size of the basil leaves and make them a bit tough. Direct sunlight from morning until noon, followed by bright, indirect sunlight in the afternoon seems to be the best compromise for basil.

You don't need to be told that soil is essential for keeping plants healthy, but you do need to know that herbs are a bit particular about the type of soil they grow in. As mentioned, many herbs originated in the Mediterranean where they grew in sandy, porous soils. It's best to put herbs in pots or planters with well-drained potting soil, which reduces the odds of them succumbing to stem and root rot. Use a highquality potting soil that's pH balanced, disease free and contains coarse-fibred peat moss, as well as large pieces of perlite.

For herbs to grow vigorously, they need adequate space. Without vigorous roots and top growth, you won't get optimum development of essential oils - responsible for much of a herb's flavour. It's OK to combine a variety of herbs in a planter, provided there's plenty of room for each to grow. But be aware that some herbs are more aggressive than others. Most mints, for instance, will dominate a small container in pretty short order, whereas basil is more docile and can easily be crowded out by mint. For the herbs such as mint, a dedicated pot is not a bad idea.

The fourth S, solution, refers to fertilizing and watering. Most herbs don't like the soil to be too wet. To test if they need watering, stick your finger into the potting soil (up to your first knuckle) and if it's dry, water; if not, don't. When it comes to fertilizing, my advice is to stay away from blue, watersoluble fertilizers. They're perfectly fine fertilizers, but I don't like to see blue stains on my herb foliage. Instead, use organic or organic-based fertilizers, which don't have dye and give the herbs a shot once a week to keep them growing vigorously.

Finally, when you want to harvest, only snip off new growth. This harvest method encourages herbs to produce new side shoots. If you take deep cuttings from a herb, such as basil, it will struggle to recover. By snipping, you'll be pleased to see how quickly new growth emerges.

The great thing about herbs is that they're not difficult to grow and, once you've tasted them fresh, it's tough to go back to the bottled versions. In fact, I think dried herbs should only be used for emergencies, like when your cousins (twice removed on your mother's side, whom you met once when you were 12) show up unexpectedly and you feel obliged to cook supper for them. Ideally, keeping the fresh herbs for yourself means your surprise guests will be gone in a flash, just like lightning.

To keep abreast of what's new in the gardening world, follow www.facebook.com/ HolesGreenhouses.

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